Top Stories:

• Professor of Psychology Christopher Ferguson, PhD, published a guest commentary at the Orlando Sentinel titled, “History of last four years can teach lessons.” He wrote, “Whether we like Biden or not, it’s time for us all to come together and find our way forward as a nation of proud Americans. Both those on the right and left have important ideas to share, and my hope is we can learn to talk in a more civil manner.”

• Psychology Professor Chris Ferguson also wrote the article, “Culture & Media: The History Wars,” for Areo Magazine.

• Associate Professor of Public Health Asal Johnson, PhD, was quoted in the Daytona Beach News-Journal on Nov. 14 in the article, “6,933 new coronavirus cases statewide and 73 deaths reported in Florida, 7 in Volusia.”

• Associate Professor and Jessie Ball duPont Endowed Chair of Social Justice Education Ranji Shankar-Brown, PhD, was quoted in a Nov. 14 article on KSAT.com in San Antonio, Texas, entitled “A force for change: Getting homeless families off the streets.”

• Eric Kurlander, PhD, the William R. Kenan, Jr. professor of history, and Nathan Wolek, PhD, the Lydia Pfund endowed professor of digital arts and music technology, were featured in a NewsDaytonaBeach.com article, titled “Two Stetson University Professors Receive Fulbright Awards,” on Nov. 17.

• Professor of digital arts and music technology, Nathan Wolek, was mentioned in Sierra magazine on Nov. 15 for his research on soundscapes and the Young Sound Seekers program in an article entitled, “A Burgeoning Movement Improves Outdoor Accessibility for the Blind.”

• Law Professor Peter F. Lake was featured in an episode of “Getting to The Bottom of It” podcast produced by The GW Hatchett about what changes to higher education may be made under President-elect Joe Biden’s administration. 

• Law Professor Ciara Torres-Spelliscy was quoted in a Salon article on Nov. 14 called, “Project Veritas could face legal liability for postal worker’s ballot fraud allegations, experts say.” It was also picked up by Yahoo News and Raw Story.  

• The Daily Mail in the United Kingdom cited research by Professor Chris Ferguson in the Nov. 15 article, “Playing video games benefits mental health, Oxford University scientist claims.”

• Professor Chris Ferguson was quoted in the Nov. 16 Wired article, “Far Cry 5 Helped Me Escape Real Life, Until It Didn’t.” Ferguson noted how people use video games and other fictional media during times of real-life troubles. “People seem to get drawn toward nihilistic media when they’re in more difficult times,” he said.

• Professor Chris Ferguson was quoted by Missouri-based Cumulus radio station, KPLA’s radio segment on Nov. 17, saying an increasing number of studies indicate that violent video games do not lead to more aggression in teens.

• The article, “Stetson University receives $296K grant from Department of Justice,” appeared in The Published Reporter on Nov. 9 and quoted Colleen Vanderlip, MA, director of Stetson’s Wellness and Recreation Department.

Other News:

• Stetson student Erica Carnegie, a Miss Clay County Teen, wrote a piece, “Letters to the Editor: My unconventional journey to the crown,” in the West Volusia Beacon on Nov. 13.

• Law Professor Louis J. Virelli III was quoted in a Nov. 19 article in the Legal Examiner called, “Supreme Court cameras an issue that won’t go away.”  

• Law Professor Ciara Torres-Spelliscy was quoted in a Nov. 17 article on TheGrio that was also picked up by Yahoo News called, “USPS whistleblower not alone during affidavit, video shows.” 

• Law Professor Ciara Torres-Spelliscy wrote an Nov. 18 analysis for Talking Points Memo called, “Giuliani Whiffed On A Legal Question Every Law Student Knows The Answer To. But The Underlying Issue Is More Complex Than It Seems.” It was featured on SCOTUSblog.  

• Law Professor Ciara Torres-Spelliscy was quoted on WFTV for a Nov. 17 segment about faithless electors.  

• Law Professor Ciara Torres-Spellicy was quoted in a Nov. 19 segment on WFTS ABC Action News called, “Manatee County leaders looking into options to keep businesses open in case of another lockdown.” 

• Law Professor Ciara Torres-Spelliscy wrote a Nov. 20 op-ed for the Brennan Center for Justice called, “Dark Money in the 2020 Election.”  It was mentioned by the Election Law Blog. 

• Law Professor Rebecca C. Morgan wrote the following blogs for the Elder Law Prof Blog: Nov. 16, “Making DC More Dementia-Friendly?,” Nov. 17, “Catching up on Nursing Home Articles,” Nov. 18, “Stetson’s Journal of Aging Law & Policy Call for Papers,” Nov. 18, “Dolly Parton-The Next Chapter of Her Life,” Nov. 19, “Stan Lee: litigation over the last years of his life,” and Nov. 20, “Briefing Paper Advancing Guardianship Reform and Promoting Less Restrictive Options.”

Alumni News:

• Alumni Robin Diedrichs and Brian Levine, both teachers, transformed an unused classroom into a life-sized Candy Land for their students at Citrus Grove Elementary School in DeLand, according to a Nov. 11 article in Motherhood Moment. The two also were featured Nov. 8 in a Daytona Beach News-Journal article, “DeLand students get escape after teachers transform classroom into Candy Land.”

• Alumnus Dean Daire, PhD, was recently appointed president of the Council of Academic Deans from Research Education Institutions.

• Alumnus James Weart published a new book titled, “Common Sense: A Real Party Movement,” on the need for the existence of a new American political party to focus on the middle class.

• Alumnus and former technology director of Scott County Board of Education, Mike Lay, was featured in the Independent Herald article, “School system honors longtime technology director Mike lay by renaming facility for him,” on Nov. 16.

• Alumnus Jim Whittaker was featured in the Apopka Voice article, “Apopka manufacturing business finds fresh ways to move forward despite COVID,” on Nov. 13. Whittaker is the president of Collins Manufacturing, which was chosen to be Lockheed Martin’s Small Business of the Year.

• Alumnus Michael Morrison was quoted in MSN.com on Nov. 19. The article was titled, “For Daytona’s Sal Ronci, music was life; bandleader died of coronavirus.”

• Law alumna Reneé Monfort has become a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, one of the premier legal associations in North America. The induction ceremony took place during the 2020 Annual Meeting and 70th Anniversary Celebration of the College. 

• Law alumna Carrie Ann Wozniak is one of six candidates nominated by a judicial nominating commission to fill the vacant seat left on the Fifth District Court of Appeal when Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Justice Jamie Rutland Grosshans to the Florida Supreme Court, according to the Orlando Sentinel.  

• Law alumnus Robert “Bob” Magielnicki Jr. Esq. was named a new senior vice president and legal counselor of United Bank, the largest publicly traded company headquartered in West Virginia. He will be senior vice president, director of Advanced Planning and Trust Legal Counsel, according to The Parkersburg News and Sentinel. 

• Law alumnus Stefan Beuge joined the Bankruptcy, Insolvency & Creditors’ Rights practice group of Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP in Tampa as a senior attorney.